It's a Wonderful Lie
by Spikeworshiper
Summary: Seto Kaiba seems to have the perfect life, but does he? He will have to face these questions when an old aquaintance enters his life. Seto X Serenity and other couples.
1. Footprints in the Snow

**Disclaimer**: I don't own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', so please don't sue me! gets on knees and begs

* * *

_In many ways Seto Kaiba epitomizes the modern CEO of a multimillion dollar company. He has a beautiful house (complete with 17 TV's, seven refrigerators and 12 bathrooms). He owns a fancy Mercedes and his own limo. He has a loving wife, Tea, and three beautiful children. Not to mention 120 million dollars. Yesterday, our top new reporter-_

Seto through the newspaper across the room. When would these stupid reporters learn to mind their own business? His wife, Tea, would be home with the kids any moment, so he went over and picked up the thrown paper. While holding it in his hands, Seto glanced at the title, 'It's a Wonderful Life' was written in black font across the top. 'Yeah, right...' thought Kaiba to himself. Sure, he was rich, but everyone always said that money can't buy happiness, and the twenty-three year old had to admit to himself that they were right.

Tea was good to him, and somehow he had grown to love her, but something in their marriage was missing. Something important. They had married young, at the age of eighteen. Personally, Seto thought they both would've liked to wait longer, to see their relationship go farther, but it seemed the world was pressuring Kaiba to propose, so, as usual, he did what they wanted. Tea, being the gentle-hearted person she was and still is, had said yes, and the next year they had given birth to Adora. When they were twenty-one, Tea had announced that she was pregnant again. That led to the birth of Mokuba Jr., whom Seto had named after his brother. The most recent addition to their family was Emanuelle, who was only three months old.

Seto stopped thinking about them long enough to put the paper neatly back on the coffee table. Just then, the door burst open and in walked Tea, along with the kids. Adora had just started school this year, and since they had decided that she was too young to take the bus, every day Tea would take the kids and drive Adora to school. She would then take them to her work and pick Adora up again at noon, drive her home and then return to work. Seto had constantly told Tea that she didn't need to work, but she was stubborn and insisted that she wanted to contribute to the ever-growing family income as well. So he let her. There was no use arguing with her.

Seto looked out the window into the grey outside. 'Another crappy day in paradise,' he remarked to himself. He seemed to become absorbed in the weather, one which today reflected his entire life. Kaiba was brought out of his misery when he heard the car pull into the driveway. Tea, who was used to having a small amount of money, refused to take the limo, and had instead bought herself a BMW.

Tea let herself into the door, looking like a complete wreck. Her brown hair, much like Kaiba's own, was up in a messy bun. On one arm was Emanuelle's carriage thing, on the other was Mokuba Jr., perched high up like he was king.

"Would you mind helping me a bit?" asked Tea, irritably. Seto rushed to her and took Mokuba away from her. Putting him down in his playpen, he turned towards her. Tea was busy getting organized, as she only had ten minutes before she had to return to her job as a dance instructor.

"Oh yeah, Seto, Yugi invited us over for dinner. The whole gang is going, so I thought that, since we aren't busy, that we could join them." Seto tried to hide his displeasure. Even though he married Tea, he still hated it when she talked about the 'gang'. Sadly, Tea noticed his feeble attempt at looking happy.

"I know you don't like them, but they're really trying to support you," she said.

"Support me?" Kaiba couldn't control his anger any longer. "They're the ones who need support! I am absolutely fine where I am now. Terrific, actually. So why don't you go by yourself?"

"Maybe I will!" Tea yelled, pacing around the room. "You know, you could try being nice to them. They're nice people, but I guess you don't even know the meaning of the word!"

Seto sighed, he hated it when they fought, but somehow, they just couldn't avoid it.

"Whatever, Tea. We'll talk later. I'm going out," Seto said as he threw on his coat and walked out the door. It was only after he was halfway down the road that he realized that he left Tea alone with the kids. 'I guess she won't be going back to work today...'

As the wind blew on him, Kaiba tried wrapping his coat around him tighter. No luck. 'I wish I'd thought to hop in the car instead of walking. Or else brought a warmer coat.' Seto didn't know where he was going, he was just following his feet. After awhile of trying to piece himself together, Kaiba looked up only to see that he was in a really shitty neighborhood. One he hadn't ever noticed before. On one side of the road there were some hobos sleeping on the fake grass that was in front of each house.

Eager to get away from this place, Seto looked around for an escape. He saw his answer when he looked to the left and saw the outline of a park. Hurrying over, Kaiba slowed to a walk when he reached the entrance. The park was actually quite nice, considering the neighborhood it was in. The concrete path led throughout the entire park, and was outlined by some trees, which had long ago lost they're leaves.

After feeling another cold burst of wind, Kaiba looked up, only to see soft white snowflakes falling through the air. The first snow of the season. After standing there for awhile, just soaking up the peacefulness, Seto continued walking. When he figured he was about halfway through the park, he heard a noise like no other. It was a girl, and she was singing.

The sound of her voice was like none other Kaiba had ever heard before. It was delicate, like that of a small bird, and fit the winter mood nicely. Interested, Seto followed to sound of her voice until he reached a tree, larger then the others. Behind it, he could faintly make out a girl's figure, wrapped in a warm winter jacket. Gathering his courage, Kaiba decided to go talk to her. He walked towards the tree, his boots leaving faint imprints in the soft white snow.


	2. Love?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! so don't sue me.

_Just to let you all know, there'll be a lot of different storylines going on in this fic. Seto X Serenity is just the main plot. Also, I'm probably going to put some yaoi in here, so if you don't like it, I apologize._

_Also, thanks to everyone that reviewed! I really apprieciate it!_

* * *

Serenity Wheeler sensed the man's presence even before he decided to approach her. She'd been like that for as long as she could remember. Her sixth sense, she called it. It was a tool she had used to replace her eyes. Serenity wrapped the fleece coat tightly around her as a gust of wind nearly took her off her feet. It was the coat that her brother, Joey, had bought her with his own money.

She didn't really know why she had come here. When she had abruptly left the house an hour ago, she had no explanation for Joey. She just felt that there was something she needed to do there. She wasn't planning on talking to him, that's for sure, and she knew that he wasn't going to make conversation either. He was just going to watch her, and for some reason, Serenity didn't mind.

After awhile, she felt him leave. Turning around, she watched as he walked away, his trench coat blowing behind him. Joey had always warned her about Seto Kaiba. 'He can't be trusted,' he always said every time she mentioned him. In truth, Serenity felt that the mysterious business man wasn't a jerk, just lonely. If she could read minds, Serenity was quite sure that she would find his full of conflicting emotions.

As she watched the last faint outline of Kaiba walk off into the distance, she realized something she had never felt before. Serenity Wheeler was in love. 'Love? It can't be,' she tried to tell herself. She sat in the snow awhile longer, until she stood up and tried to push all thoughts of Kaiba from her mind. It was time to get ready for dinner at Yugi's house.

* * *

Seto walked into the house, his head abuzz. He could have sworn that he had just seen an angel, though he knew it wasn't so. The beautiful creature in the park was just the mutt's younger sister, Serenity. He had never noticed her before. After all, she came from a family of idiots. When she had become so alluring in appearance was a mystery to him. Standing in the front hallway, all Kaiba could think about was the way her auburn hair had blown with the wind. She hadn't seen him, this was almost certain. But what if she had? Serenity would most likely consider him a crazy stalker. And if she told Joey...that would be the end of him.

Seto's thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of feet on stairs. He mentally braced himself for the harsh words that would soon fly in his direction. However, instead Tea just stood there looking at him. It was always this way. As much as Tea hated him at times, she never raised her voice after he'd come back after their fights. Taking a step towards him, she brushed the snow out of his hair.

"You must be freezing," she tells him. "I made some hot chocolate, would you like some?"

Kaiba nods and Tea turns towards the kitchen. However, Seto grabs her arm and brings her towards him, kissing her lightly on the lips. For a moment, she looked taken aback, then smiled.

"By the way, Tea. I'd be happy to join you tonight at Yugi's house," Kaiba told her, unaware himself of his ulterior motives. It was just to make up for this afternoon, he tried to tell himself, but knew that it was not so.

* * *

Joey Wheeler was once again confused. When Serenity had left earlier that day, muttering something about someone calling her there, he thought that she'd been strange. Now that she'd returned, however, he was beginning to question her sanity. Ever since she'd come back home as a frozen icicle she'd been happier then he'd ever seen her before. And Serenity, as mostly everyone knew, was a generally happy person. What bothered Joey most, though, was how she refused to tell him where she'd gone or what had happened. Now the blonde stood at his sister's door and he heard himself knock.

"Come in!" Serenity called out to him cheerfully. He opened her door and walked into her room. Although she was twenty and he was twenty three, they still lived together. His sister now sat on her bed, staring up at the ceiling, smiling happily. Joey tried to think of the right words to say, but, as always, he just came out and said it.

"Are you doing drugs?" he asked her. Serenity's smile never faltered.

"Why no, brother. Why on earth would I do a stupid thing like that?"

Joey shook his head, trying to clear it. "No reason..." he said, and left the room. He was completely and totally confused. His sister had become a psycho.

* * *

Yugi hung up the phone and turned towards his Yami.

"That was Tea, it turns out that Kaiba is coming after all." The taller version of the vertically challenged man just nodded. Now Yugi started talking again, but to no one in particular. "I honestly have no idea why she stays with him. It's not like she loves him or anything." Once again, the pharaoh nodded, but inside his head was full of thoughts.

He had been in love with Tea for a long while, certainly longer than Kaiba. When she had married that man Yami's heart had just about shattered into pieces, and he was quite sure that his hikari had noticed. In truth, when Yami had heard that Tea was coming alone, his hopes had risen. He felt guilty for having never confessed his true feelings towards her, but he had thought, that if he could have just gotten her alone for a few minutes, he could've gathered up enough courage to confess his undying love.

Yami sighed again and began helping his hikari set the table. Or tables. There were quite a few people coming, and Yami hated most of them.

"Let's see..." murmered Yugi to himself. "If we put Marik and Malik over here and Ryou and Bakura at the opposite end, then there'll be no problem there. And I guess we should separate Kaiba and Joey, or they'll bite each others heads off..." Yami tuned Yugi out and sighed yet again. It was going to be a long night.


	3. The Arrival

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' so please don't sue me. Have a heart.

_Thanks to everyone who's reviewed. I love hearing your comments about the story! I hope you guys like this next part._

* * *

Yugi took a deep breath. In truth, he was nervous. This was the first time that they would all be together in forever. He had no idea what would be going on. It wasn't a formal dinner, but Yugi had tried to look presentable just the same. He had even tried to make his hair look...different, but without success. He took a deep breath and looked over at his Yami. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again without a word. He looked like he had his own problems to worry about.

In truth, this dinner was sort of like a party for his new house, which he shared with Yami. Of course, he had moved here five months before, but everyone had been to busy. Yugi was actually amazed that everyone was coming tonight. He looked around the kitchen. There was a long table for everyone, and Yugi himself had to admit that it all looked nice. He was still having trouble getting used to the size of this place, though. He had lived most of his life in the game shop, and when his grandfather had died the year before he didn't think he would ever get used to running it himself. At least he had Yami to help him. He had encouraged him to move out and use the top floor as an extension on the shop. Buisness was now better then ever.

Yugi sighed and looked at the clock. His first guests should be arriving any moment.

* * *

"Please don't make me go!" Bakura begged, holding tightly to the leather seat of his light's red mustang convertible. 

"God, 'Kura, don't be such a baby," teased Ryou.

"But Marik and Malik will be there!" Bakura protested.

"Come on, Malik's nice, and Marik's well...Marik. Besides, you don't _have_ to talk to them. There'll be plenty of other people there."

"Yes, but I hate them all,"

"True..." Ryou mused. "Maybe we can sneak out later."

This seemed to satisfy Bakura, as he finally unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the car. Wrapping his arm around his hikari's waist, they walked up the cement sidewalk towards the house.

* * *

On the outside, Duke Devlin looked calm and relaxed, just like he should feel. But he didn't, and he had no idea why. He had long since given up any hopes of ever being with Serenity, and he wasn't attracted to any of the other girls. But still, as he walked up the steps at Yugi's house, fiddling with his dice earring, he felt panicked. 

Taking a deep breath he rang the doorbell. He was surprised as the door opened quickly to reveal none other then Tristan Taylor, Duke's old rival.

"Hey, Duke, buddy, how've you been? I haven't seen you in ages!"

Duke just smiled. He hadn't seen any of these people personally for over six months, as he had just launched 'Dungeon Dice Monsters' worldwide. Entering the house, he realized that he was one of the last people to arrive.

In opposite corners were Bakura and Marik scowling as their two hikari's spoke to each other in the middle of the floor. In some chairs placed by the fire, Seto Kaiba sat with his wife, Tea. It was obvious he didn't want to be there, as he was scowling. 'Of course, that's not saying anything, he's always scowling...' Duke told himself. Yugi and Yami were both rushing around their house, trying to organize everything and socialize at the same time. Mai and Isis were also at the dinner, which surprised Duke. They were a fair bit older than everyone else, and had never really been considered part of the gang.

Looking around once more, Duke realized who was missing. It was his good pal Joey.

* * *

At the Wheeler's home, Joey paced in the hallway, frustrated. They were going to be late for Yugi's dinner, and it was all his stupid sister's fault. If she'd only got ready earlier, he probably wouldn't have felt like this. Normally Joey wouldn't have minded, he was usually the one who made them late. But this time was different, Joey felt as if there was something he needed to be there for. Or someone. 

"Are you ready yet?" he called down the hallway, hoping that Serenity's ears were still working.

"Just a minute!" his sister's voice yelled. Joey let out a long sigh just as Serenity appeared in front of him. Joey himself had to admit she looked breathtaking in whatever she was wearing.

"Are we leaving now or what?" she asked, smiling innocently. Joey sighed again and led her out the door.

* * *

Kaiba was miserable. He had no idea why he had even agreed to come here. No one of great importance was here, and he would still have to pay the babysitter when they got home. Sighing, Seto realized that he and Tea was the only married couple in the room. Although they were the same age as everybody else, younger than some, they seemed a thousand years older. 

His cold blue eyes moved towards the door again, but no one was there. 'What are you waiting for?' he asked himself. 'Some knight in shining armor to come and rescue you from this terrible fate? Or a princess?' Seto shook these thoughts from his head and looked towards his wife. She was staring at him, clearly worried, so he smiled. She smiled to, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Just then, the door opened and Kaiba's heart stopped in its tracks.

Standing in front of him was a goddess. A girl like none he had ever seen before. Serenity wasn't dressed fancy, she was simply wearing a pale blue dress that showed off her slim figure. She wasn't wearing any valuable jewelry; some small hoop earrings and a silver chain were her only accessories. But to Kaiba, she was an angel sent from above.

Just then, his fantasies were interrupted by Yugi announcing that it was time to eat. Groaning, Seto stood up and headed towards his assigned seat at the table.


	4. Dinner and a Romance

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!', I'm just an obsessed fanatic, so please don't sue me.

_K, I've figured out most of the pairings in this story. They will be as follows: Seto X Serenity (main pairing), Tea X Yami, Joey X Mai, Tristan X Duke._

_Now people, I need your help on this. I don't if I should do Ryou X Malik; Bakura X Marik or the yami's and the hikari's, so PLEASE TELL ME WHEN YOU REVIEW!_

_Oh, that reminds me, thank you to everybody that reviewed. I love you all!_

* * *

Serenity tried her hardest not to look at the person across from her. There was no way she'd be able to act normal if all she could concentrate on were his cold, blue eyes. Gorgeous blue eyes. Joey sat beside her, as usual, and Tristan was on her other side. By Joey's orders, she guessed. Joey was still protective of her, although she had told him many times that she was a grown woman now, able to make her own choices.

In fact, it was Joey who had made Serenity stay in their old house. When she was nineteen, over a year ago now, she had approached Joey to tell him that she had bought an apartment a few blocks down. Serenity had put away a bit of money, and had been pleased with the apartment when she'd gone to see it. It was small, only big enough for one person, but it still beat living in that dump with Joey. Joey had always had financial problems. He still couldn't hold a job, and Serenity was usually the only source of income for their house. From Serenity's two jobs, she got minimum wage. Half of that went to keep their house, and the other went to the college she was attending. Although she still managed to satisfy all her needs, Serenity still wanted to do something more then deliver gift baskets across the city in the daytime and waitress at night. And so she'd bought an apartment. When she's told Joey he had been supportive. He'd even helped her get organized. However, the day before she moved in Joey had appeared at the edge of her room and begged her to stay with him. And so Serenity, being the kind soul she was, had given in and sold her apartment and stayed with Joey.

Glancing up at Kaiba she noticed him staring at her. Blushing, she turned her gaze downward. 'What if we got married? He's so rich. I could have everything I wanted!' part of her told herself. 'What are you talking about, girl? If you haven't noticed by that ring on his finger, he's already married.' This announcement was given by another part of Serenity, a much bigger part.

* * *

Tristan could feel Serenity tensing up. Something was bothering her. But he didn't care now; he had given up on the girl long ago. For some strange reason, though, Joey still thought that he liked her. In Joey's mind, Tristan found, nothing had ever changed. Him and Duke still competed for Serenity on a daily basis and Seto Kaiba was a cold-hearted jerk. Personally, Tristan just wishes he could smack Joey on the head every now and again.

Tristan was quite surprised at the fact that Kaiba had actually even showed up. He had expected to see just Tea, alone again. 'Actually,' Tristan thought. 'It might have been better if he hadn't shown up.' Tristan was well aware of Yami's feelings for the petite brunette, even if he hadn't told Tristan himself. He could just tell by watching Yami's eyes glance at her every so often.

Then there was Duke. Tristan had hated Duke from the very beginning, and the thing with Serenity had only caused him to loath the Dungeon Dice Monsters creator even more. Now, however, it was as if something in him had changed. He seemed calmer, perhaps, or more down to earth. Whatever it was, Tristan liked it.

* * *

Ryou kept trying to make eye contact with Malik, but to no avail. He was completely involved in what his yami was saying. Or at least he appeared to be. 'Is he avoiding me?' Ryou thought. 'Or maybe he's still worried that we'll be caught...But that's ridiculous. Why should he be worried? His yami is as dumb as a doornail. I should be worried, I'm pretty sure that Bakura sees everything.'

It was indeed so. Even now, as Ryou was looking in the complete opposite direction, he could feel Bakura eyeing his hikari. Thinking back, Ryou tried to think of what had complicated this in the first place. The blame rested on Bakura, that was it. It was all his fault. He wasn't kind enough to Ryou. He was over 5000 years old, and had no idea what Ryou needed in a relationship. But then came Malik. He confided in Ryou, and it turned out that they both felt the same way about their yami's. So they started seeing each other. Secretly, of course. Neither of them had enough courage to confess their love for each other to their yami's.

Finally, Malik looked over at Ryou, focusing his violet eyes on Ryou's brown ones. Malik, recognizing Ryou's need, signaled for them to leave quietly.

* * *

Bakura sat in his chair, glaring at Marik. He thought he was so funny, cracking jokes about the time he first time he saw a coffee machine, etc. It was positively revolting. If he could have, Bakura would have killed Marik right then and there, regardless of Ryou's stupid rule about violence in a public place.

Ahh, Ryou, his beloved hikari. He thought that Bakura was so stupid. That he didn't suspect a thing after both him and Malik left the room at nearly the same time. Bakura was smart enough to realize what was going on, but for some reason could not bring himself to 'accidentally' walking into the room where the pair were located. That would confirm all his suspicions. Inside, Bakura smiled to himself. He doubted that the stupid tomb garder had figured it out. At least the thief was smarter than somebody. Or possibly everybody. It appeared as if nobody had noticed their disappearance's but him. Everyone else was to busy staring at each other.

* * *

As Mai watched Joey finish his third helping of baked potatoes, she found herself licking her lips. This scared her. Was it possible that she was falling for Joey Wheeler? She tried to shake the thoughts from her mind, but they kept coming back to her. Sure, she thought he was cute when he was younger, and he had certainly aged well, but she was eight years older than him!

This small fact scared Mai more than her feelings for Joey. She had always been beautiful, and she still was, but after she had turned thirty a year ago, all she had been concerned about was that her beauty was fading. Now thirty one, she was still panicked, but regretted everything that her worry had made her do. Like retiring from Duel Monsters, for one. She remembered that day perfectly well, when she had locked up her deck for good. Mai had been worried that to much stress from dueling would cause her to age faster. Such nonsense it was now, but there was still a small fear in the back of her mind that convinced her not to make a comeback to the game. 'Oh well, it can't be helped,' Mai tried to tell herself and went back to staring at Joey.

* * *

Seto Kaiba could feel himself blushing. He kept trying to avoid looking at Serenity, but for god's sake! She was seated right in front of him! How could he not look at her? Every now and then he would try to sneak a peek at the girl, and would find her staring at him. And then he would blush, like he was now.

'This is ridiculous,' he told himself if he found himself blushing again. All night they'd been playing this game. He kept looking up and seeing her and then they'd both look away. He was almost positive now that she knew that he'd seen her earlier today. He also found himself wondering if she had feelings for him as strong as his for her.

Just then, Yugi announced that dinner was over and everybody moved back to the living room. Kaiba took Tea by the hand and led her back to their boring corner, where he could watch everyone from the corner of his eye the rest of the night.


	5. Before

**Disclaimer:** I don't own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' so please don't sue me!

_Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! Just to let you know, this chapter won't really be focusing on Seto X Serenity, so I'm sorry if you're a little disspointed._

* * *

Tea was bored out of her mind, something that didn't happen that often. In fact, rarely ever. But now, as she sat it a corner next to her gloomy husband, watching her friends talk together at the far end of the room, she was bored.

Tea supposed that she could have left Kaiba there; it's not like he would have minded. But still, Tea somehow felt guilty about dragging him here. She had practically forced him to come, and now he didn't do anything other than scowl at people passing by. It probably would have been better if he hadn't come, but now Tea had to suffer the consequences.

Tea looked longingly at her friends, until she saw Joey and his sister walking towards them. 'At last,' Tea thought to herself. 'Someone noticed that I existed.'

"Hi Tea," said the blonde man. "Kaiba." Seto nodded curtly, which surprised Tea. Her husband was never one to be polite to Joey.

"I assume you remember my sister?" Joey asked. Kaiba nodded again. Tea was taken aback: was he _blushing_?

"I'm Serenity. I've never had the chance to properly introduce myself, so I'm doing it now." She held out a hand and Kaiba took it.

Tea shook her head. She was more confused now then ever! What was going on with Seto? She attempted to push the thoughts from her mind and went back to talking with Joey.

* * *

'They think I'm so stupid, all of them," thought Marik as he glared at everyone. 'They don't realize that I see everything.' And indeed he did. He could notice tension from a mile away, so how come he hadn't noticed anything between his and Bakura's hikari's before tonight? 'Because I didn't want to.'

As Marik stood in a small corner, his eyes moved to the last place he'd seen Malik and Ryou go. Wondering whether Bakura knew, he focused his gaze on the albino. He looked just about as miserable as Marik himself, if that was humanly possible.

'When you think about it, we're not so different, him and me.' Marik thought. 'After all, we're both from Ancient Egypt and we both hate everyone in this room.' Still, the very thought of Marik sharing anything with that pathetic tomb robber was enough to make him kill himself.

Marik needed to somehow distract himself, so he began focusing on the doorway again, wondering how long it would be until he saw Malik again. A few minutes, maybe? An hour? Sometime tomorrow? Marik couldn't say for certain, and that's what bugged him most of all.

Marik decided that the best thing to do right now was try to sleep. Closing his eyes, he had nearly managed to doze off until a loud sound filled his ears. Opening one eye, he saw the stupid Duke Devlin turning on the radio and dancing to some song Marik would never be able to remember the name of. Closing his eyes again, Marik didn't even see Bakura until he was standing right in front of him.

* * *

Yami had to admit that his mood hadn't lifted all night. In fact, it seemed to dampen with each passing minute. He had wanted to talk to Tea all night. He had even excepted that he would probably have to do so in the presence of her idiotic husband. And now Joey had beaten him to it.

The pharaoh attempted to try and keep calm. It's not like Joey meant to ruin Yami's perfect moment. Joey didn't even like Tea as more then a friend. Although Joey didn't know it yet, Yami could see that Joey was completely in love with Mai. He had been for a long time, but obviously was to scared to confront his feelings.

'He is a mad fool to deny love,' Yami thought to himself, then stopped. After all, wasn't that what he'd been doing. Ever since he'd known Tea he'd had so many perfect opportunities to confess his undying love, but he never did. In fact, while contemplating this, Yami decided how to describe himself. The ancient pharaoh of Egypt, who had saved the world numerous times, was pathetic.

* * *

"Why are we doing this again?" asked Marik. It was obvious that he doubted Bakura's brilliant plan.

"We are doing this to confirm our suspicions," Bakura stated plainly. The blonde Egyptian stopped in his tracks.

"Maybe I don't want to confirm my suspicions."

"Are you telling me that you honestly have no interest in finding out whether your hikari is cheating on you?"

"Well..." Marik trailed off. His mind was all jumbled. In truth, he had no idea whether he wanted to know or not. In the dark, Marik thought he saw Bakura smirk, but he couldn't be sure. They were in the dark after all.

"I still don't see why we have to take them by surprise."

"God, sometimes I wonder how you nearly managed to take over the world. You have less of a brain then Joey Wheeler."

"I resent that!"

"Whatever, I think they're in here." Bakura pressed his ear up against the door, then turned towards the blob he thought was Marik.

"Are you ready?"

Marik didn't say anything, only made a strange noise. 'Oh my god! Did he just _whimper_?' Bakura took a deep breath, and the moment he turned the doorknob, Ryou's face flashed through his mind.


	6. Drastic Changes

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! so please don't sue me!

_Thank you to everybody who reviewed. I'm sorry it took awhile for me to upload, but I've been really busy. I finally came up with some new ideas for the story, though, so I'm excited! But anycow, onto the story!_

* * *

"I can't believe them," Marik said for about the thousenth time. Bakura yawned and looked over at the yami.

"I know. After all I did for him he had to go and sneak around."

"I thought you said that you knew all along?" Marik asked, puzzled. Bakura stopped and thought about that.

"Of course I did. But this just made it true," he stated plainly and went back to unpacking his clothes. It hadn't even been twelve hours since the two yami's caught their hikari's making out, but things had already begun changing drastically for Bakura.

Him and Ryou had left the party almost immediately, with Marik and Malik following close behind. When Bakura and Ryou reached the apartment they had shared, Ryou had attempted to talk to Bakura, but he wouldn't listen. There really was no point, seeing as the next thing Ryou had said was that Bakura had to move out. When Bakura had asked why, Ryou had explained that Malik was going to come live with him.

And so Bakura had found himself moving in with his former worst enemy. 'It's funny how things turn out...' Bakura thought to himself sadly. In truth, he missed his hikari. He still couldn't accept it; not completely, at least. The yami assumed that Marik was going annoyed. After all, he was already moving on. 'They obviously never had what Ryou and I did,' Bakura thought, then continued moving into his new home.

* * *

Kaiba could not remember a day where he had actually been looking forward to going to work. Getting dressed, he smiled to himself. When he saw Tea looking at him strangely, he realized how weird he must have been acting. After all, he was famous for being moody and emotionless. But he couldn't help himself, so much had happened the night before.

At first, and for most of the night, Kaiba had just sat and watched everyone socialize together. Then, finally, right before he was about to announce that they were leaving, Joey Wheeler walked over with his sister Serenity. Seto had acted awkward at first, so he listened to their conversation and tried not to stare at the beauty standing before him. It was when Joey began telling Tea about how Serenity was looking for a fulltime job, Kaiba had thought of a brilliant idea.

He had offered Serenity a job at Kaiba Corp. It was nothing really important. The job couldn't even be compared next to Kaiba's. But when he had told her that he was looking for a new secretary, it had seemed good enough for her. Seto was happy that she had jumped at the chance. Now, every time he went in or out of his office he would get to see her angelic face. Not to mention the fact that there was no reason anyone could be suspicious. Sighing happily Seto continued preparing for another day of work.

* * *

Joey was worried. He had never thought that Kaiba had been listening to what he'd been saying about Serenity the night before, and now look what was happening: his little sister had accepted a job to be that bastard's secretary. Joey was not in the least bit happy about it, but, when he thought about it, at least it was money. You had to make some sacrifices.

Joey flinched at the thought. It was Serenity's sacrifice, not his. It was always her sacrifice. Joey kept meaning to try and find himself a job, but he never had time. He just hoped that it wasn't too late to renew his sister's relationship with him. After all, they were all each other had.

'I should probably go look for some work,' Joey thought. Looking over at his sister in the driver's seat, Joey decided that he would go to one of those job search places as soon as he dropped Serenity off for her first day of work. He just hoped that his plan would work.

* * *

Yami sighed to himself. In truth, he was extremely disappointed. After all, he had meant to talk to Tea the night before. He really had. He just hadn't managed to do it, especially with Joey being there.

Yami sat on his porch, trying to think of a way to get Tea alone. It was so awkward, now that his feelings for her had become so much stronger. Sometimes it felt like if he didn't shout out his love to the world he might burst. Yami's concentration was broken when his hikari sat down beside him. Yugi was so sensible. He didn't believe in love, or so it seemed. But then again, who knew? Maybe Yugi was just good at hiding things.

When he looked over at him, Yugi smiled. He didn't talk much nowadays, and Yami wasn't exactly sure why. Last night was an exception; he was the host, so he had to make contact with his guests. Yugi patted Yami's hand, then left the Egyptian alone. Just then, a thought occurred to Yami. A brilliant, flawless thought. Tea taught dance. Yami could dance. Getting off the porch, Yami hopped in his cars and started driving towards Yukari's Dance Studio.

* * *

Everything was different now. Although they no longer had to hide their love, it was as if Ryou and Malik were avoiding each other. At least that's how it seemed to Ryou. Malik had moved in earlier that morning, soon after Bakura had left. And it was so strange. Everywhere that had used to be a large mess was now tidy. Ryou was supposed to be the clean one. Even though he hated to admit it, Ryou missed his yami.

It had been quite a shock when Bakura and Marik had walked into the room where Ryou and Malik were. But Ryou wasn't surprised. He knew it would have happened sooner or later. When he looked at Bakura, Ryou had expected to see nothing but hate. Instead, his yami's eyes were full of sadness like Ryou had never seen before. In truth, Ryou wished he had been able to tell his yami before this happened. He kept trying to forget and move on, but every time he looked around Bakura's pained expression popped into his head. Taking a Tylenol, Ryou went and layed down on his bed. And cried.


	7. Let's Get it Started

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!, so please don't sue me.

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I love hearing your feedback. Sorry it took me so long to get this one out. I've been having a rough week and finally decided to get out of school, come home and curl up and die. So here's the next part. Chapter eight will be out either tonight or tommorow. _

* * *

Serenity took a deep breath and walked into the building, turning around once to wave goodbye to her brother. Looking over her appearance in a mirror on the wall, she felt she looked presentable. That stopped her worry for a second, then it returned full force. She looked towards the lady at the desk and headed over.

"Hello. I'm Serenity Wheeler. I'm Mr. Kaiba's new secretary." The lady, who was chatting on the phone with someone, motioned to a paper which showed who was on each floor. Serenity looked and headed into the elevator. It was then that her simple nervousness turned into a complete and total panic.

Many different thoughts were going through Serenity's head. She was panicking like mad. What if he decided that she wasn't good after all? She needed this job to support her and her brother. The pay was good, and the hours decent, so it seemed like a great opportunity. Serenity thought about how different their life could be if she managed to keep this job. Thoughts of selling their run-down home and moving into a nicer apartment filled her mind, and she felt herself smiling slightly.

Just then, the elevator doors opened and Serenity let out a gasp. The floor was gorgeous. Her mahogany desk sat in front of some large doors, and the wine-colored carpets complemented the wood. Serenity couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had never worked in a place as extravagant as this before. It took a few moments for her to take it all in, and when she finally began focusing, she realized that someone was watching her.

"Do you like it?" asked her new boss, stepping closer. "I, personally had wanted the floor decorated in blue and white, but I was overruled." Serenity couldn't find the words. She was still in awe.

"If you don't like it, I suppose we could change the colors or something."

"No...it's gorgeous," Serenity managed to say. Kaiba laughed and began showing her where everything was. Serenity was pretty confident that she would like this job.

* * *

Mai sat in the rolling chair, her feet up on her desk and a lollipop in her mouth. She was bored out of her mind. It wasn't her fault that the only job the stupid people in this city would let her have was as a person who helped other people find jobs. Mai thought of it as an interesting version of the expression, 'those who can't do teach'.

No one ever came here, lucky for Mai. She would die if any of her friends saw her like this. Working. Just then, the bell over the door signaled the arrival of another poor soul. Mai looked up to see who this new unfortunate person was, and when she did, she wished she could have crawled in a hole and died. For the person in the doorway, looking for some assistance was none other than Joey Wheeler.

* * *

Tea was shocked when she saw who had signed up for dance lessons. Standing in front of her was none other than Yami, wearing tight black pants and a muscle shirt. Tea felt her cheeks grow hot. Was she blushing? For her pride's sake she hoped not. After all, she had taught many other guys dance. Just not _this_ guy. There wasn't a rule against teaching friends or anything, but Tea thought it would be awkward, so she never encouraged them to take lessons. But here he was.

"Oh, hi, Tea, fancy meeting you here," he said, looking towards the ground.

"I work here. Why wouldn't I be here?" Tea asked, trying to be friendly. She wasn't sure if it was working, though.

"Oh, you work here?"

'Oh my god. Is he really this stupid or is he just playing me?' Tea wondered.

"Last time I checked I did," Tea said, giving him a fake smile. "Anyways, I guess you're my next class. Come on in." Tea motioned to the door and led Yami into the studio.

* * *

Tristan couldn't believe what he was seeing. Standing in front of him was Duke Devlin.

"I want to make you my partner," he said plainly.

Tristan was confused. Why would Duke want to make him his partner? Everyone knew that Tristan sucked at anything business. He had failed the class three years in a row. And now one of the owners of the biggest companies around wanted him to become his partner.

He had to think about it. This was a big decision for him to make. He needed time. But then again, he felt honored to have been asked. Duke was not one to pick just anyone, Tristan knew that much. He must have seen something in Tristan that had caused him to do this. Either that or he had gone completely insane. Before he could stop himself, Tristan found himself nodding his head and shaking hands. Partners. Who would have thought?


	8. Just a Kiss

**Disclaimer: **I don't own 'Yu-Gi-Oh!' so please don't sue me!

_Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I appreciate it immensly. I hope you all had a good Halloween, and thanks for waiting so long for me to finally update. _

* * *

"No, Yami! You have to turn your feet out when you turn!" Tea sighed inwardly. Yami certainly, wasn't any Lord at the Dance. Of course, Tea had never had to really work at becoming great, it had just come naturally to her.

Tea glanced at the clock again. Would the hour never be over?! They still had five minutes and it seemed to her that time had stopped entirely. She hoped Yami had had enough after this. Then she could keep working like normal. The thought that Tea kept ignoring was that which told her that the thought of Yami being right in front of her was to tempting for her to control.

Tea was a loyal wife, and she'd never knowingly do anything to hurt Seto. He wasn't the best husband in the world, but he treated her well most of the time, and that was better than most couples. Of course, she'd always had feelings for Yami. He was just so...charismatic.

"Could you show me how the arms go one more time?" he asked her. Walking behind him, Tea tried to calm down, though she could feel her cheeks growing hot. She pushed a strand of hair out of her face and proceeded to place his arms in the correct position. Yami turned around slowly, and before she knew it, his lips were pressed against hers. And Tea now hoped that time would never start again.

* * *

Serenity laughed. Who'd known that Kaiba could have been so funny? Looking up at him, she saw that he was laughing as well. He looked nice when he was having a good time.

Looking around, Serenity decided that she liked the area where she worked. About an hour ago, Seto had finally come out of his office and had asked her if she would join him for lunch on his private restaurant. It was just as gorgeous there as it was in her office. From where she sat Serenity could see the cool winter sun reflecting off the water, creating a warm feeling.

She hadn't eaten much; she was used to small helpings; but the pure enjoyment of being here was getting to talk to Kaiba. He wasn't as cold-hearted as her brother made him out to be. She liked him, Serenity had to admit, but she wasn't about to step in and ruin Seto's relationship with Tea. And so she had to be satisfied with working for him.

When they had finished, Kaiba led her back to the elevator. Once they entered, however, it was awkward. Seto had stopped talking and was looking nervous. Serenity tried not to stare, but couldn't help herself. Suddenly, as soon as she made eye contact with him, he moved quickly and kissed her lightly on the lips. Pulling back, he looked at her, startled.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't –"he didn't get to finish, as Serenity put a finger over his lips and kissed him back. She had no control over what would happen next, she just wanted to stay in this moment forever.

* * *

"You do realize that I have no idea how to run a business, right?" Tristan asked sheepishly. Yes, Duke did know, but he wasn't about to say that to him. That would give his entire plan away. It was true, last night had changed Duke's entire outlook on relationships. He had always been a ladies man, but ever since last night he'd been searching for a reason to see Tristan again. Now he'd finally found one.

"Oh relax, Tristan, it's not that bad," Duke reassured him, punching him lightly on the shoulder. "After all, I started my business when I was sixteen."

"Yes, but you're smart. Remember how I was the one failing business class while you were the one running it?"

Duke smiled. It was true; Tristan didn't even know the first thing about running one of the leading companies in Japan. Duke decided now was the time to make his move, before either of them said anything they would regret. Sadly, right as Duke was leaning in, Tristan moved his head and Duke was left looking like a complete jackass.

'It's alright, you'll get him next time,' Duke tried to compose himself. That was quite embarrassing. Oh well, he'd only just begun.

* * *

"So why are you here, Joey? I thought your sis was the one who picked up the trash." Joey felt his face flushing. He hated Mai with a passion right then. Upon walking into the job searching office, he had just about expected anybody but her. He glanced around the room, looking for a quick exit if he needed one. No luck. He was like a caged animal.

"What's the matter Mai, the entire male population run out of money?" Joey snapped back. After he said that, he couldn't believe the words that had come out of his mouth. He had never, ever called Mai a hooker. He'd never even thought of her like that. In fact, he'd always considered her a friend. Some pal he was.

Mai scowled at him from her seat. "If you must know, I'm in between guys at the moment. But I don't like having boyfriends anyways," she said, rising up from her chair and approaching Joey, much like a lion would approach it's dinner. "I much prefer just being friends... with benefits." She looked at him, as if waiting for an answer. Joey didn't know what she wanted him to do.

"So what do you say?" she asked him plainly, clearly irritated. Joey finally understood and the thought grossed him out. He couldn't picture himself with Mai. It was just to disturbing.

"I think I'll come back at another time," Joey said, turning around and walking out of the office, leaving Mai standing there, drawing a complete blank.


End file.
